Hijackers of Turkish plane surrender

The hijackers of a plane at Turkey's Anatalya airport have surrendered to authorities after releasing their hostages. The plane was flying from Northern Cyprus to Istanbul when it was seized on Saturday morning. However, the pilots managed to make an emer

Police is investigating the motives of the two hijackers, one of whom is Turkish.

Many of the passengers managed to escape from the rear exit while the hijackers were releasing women and children from the front of the plane. 136 passengers and six crew members were onboard the aircraft when it was seized by two hijackers claiming to have a bomb.

“The hijackers tried to get into the cockpit, but the pilots resisted. Then they tried to break down the cockpit door. They surrounded the hostages and made us sit down. They wouldn’t let us stand up. The hijackers said they wanted to go either to Syria or Iran and they told the pilots not to land in Turkey,” Gulsen Gunay, passenger of the plane, says.

But the pilots said they needed to refuel first and landed the plane safely in Turkey. The pilots managed to escape, but a local news station said the hijackers demanded that one of them return to the aircraft.

Anti-terrorism teams surrounded the plane.

The three remaining passengers and two crew members were released when the hijackers eventually surrendered.